~ For people who are passionate about respecting the earth, walking in nature, observing wildlife, local diet, making do, repurposing, organic gardening, foraging for wild plants and fungi, natural health, scrumptious healthy cooking, renovations, DIY, crafting, raising children simply and mindfully, their dogs, taking time for stillness, and living in harmony with the seasons.

I must apologize for the long delay in getting this post up, especially to the four readers who wrote in early spring asking for more details on building the raised beds in the Medicine Wheel garden. My eleven-month old son is finally taking longer naps -and I am also now able to stay up past his bedtime- so I can now get back to one of my favorite things: blogging and sharing my life with each of you.

In this post, I will go into more detail on how we got the dimensions for the raised bed boxes for those who are interested in building their own. Click here if you need to refresh your memory on the previous post that we did two summers ago on building the raised beds. If you would like your raised bed circle to be smaller or larger you can use what we did here as a guide and plug in your own measurements. On the other hand, if my dimensions suit you just fine, then skip to the end where I will just give you the basic details in a nutshell. Please note that later this summer (or early next spring), we plan to build the second row in the Medicine Wheel garden so this is a work in progress! The next boxes will be a bit shorter and wider and we will be sure to include the dimensions for that when we do it.

How We Calculated the Dimensions for the Boxes:

There was a bit of math involved in getting the dimensions for the layout of the beds. I started with some rough sketches of what I envisioned. As you can see, it looks like a pie. All I needed to do was figure out how large of a pie it should be, how much space I wanted in the center, and decide how wide I wanted the walkways to be in between each bed.

I started from the center and decided that I wanted a 10 foot diameter for the center circle. From there I knew I wanted the row of beds to be 4 feet long. I also knew that I wanted the walkways to be about a foot and a half wide, or 18 inches.

To get the dimensions for the beds, I calculated the circumference of both the center circle and the outer circle. The inner circle gives me the length of wood to cut for the narrow end. I simply subtracted the total amount of space needed for the walkways between each bed and divided what was left by the number of beds I wanted to have.

Then it was time to cut the wood and get building. We bought 2 x 10 untreated spruce. I chose untreated wood because I did not want any chemicals leaching into my garden soil and into our food. We cut the lengths for each bed: 10 pieces at 1-½ feet (narrow end) 10 pieces at 4 feet (wider end) and 20 more pieces at 4 feet (sides of the boxes)

Cutting the ends on an angle gives the boxes a finished look with no gaps in the corners. Brian is an engineer and did some quick calculations to get the angle: 36 degrees. You could also just use a sliding bevel. Lay your pieces out and use the sliding bevel to record the angle. Then take the sliding bevel to your miter saw and adjust the tilt of your blade to match the angle. Click here to see what a sliding bevel is and how to use one. The magical thing is that all of your cuts will be at the same angle so you only need to adjust your miter saw once. See the picture below: the narrow and wider ends are the longer pieces and the side pieces fit inside. This is the tricky part where you really don’t want to be in a rush: make sure you are cutting you angle in the right direction. I made quite a few mistakes before Brian came and took over so my boxes are actually a bit shorter than planned! It’s worked out all right in the end because we just made sure all of the boxes were the same size.

Once the pieces were cut, Brian screwed them together with deck screws. Then using the 10 feet center circle as our guide, we arranged the boxes in a circle, making sure that we had about 1-1/2 feet between each box for the walkways. This was not exact but once everything was in place it all looked beautiful.

In a Nutshell:

Use 2 x 10 spruce

Cut 10 pieces at 1-½ feet (narrow end)

Cut 10 pieces at 4 feet (wider end)

Cut 20 more pieces at 4 feet (sides of the boxes)

Arrange a box on the ground and use a sliding bevel to record your angle for cutting the ends.

Transfer this angle to your miter saw and cut your ends so that they will fit nicely together.

In the center point of your garden space, measure a small circle with a ten-foot diameter.

Place your boxes around this circle with a 1-1/2 foot space in between. I hope this helps! I would love to hear how your own raised beds turn out!

This was a very exciting weekend for me as I was able to finish the next phase of the Medicine Wheel garden. If you recall, last summer my neighbor simply rotatilled a small area and I created the garden straight into the ground using mulch to mark the pattern and paths. Click here to see last year’s Medicine Wheel garden.

This year, I had the time and budget to create the first row of raised beds. I used 2″x10″x8′ untreated spruce lumber. (As this is an organic garden I avoided pressure treated lumber as it is impregnated with chemicals.) I pre-cut the wood and later B came over and helped me cut out the angles and assemble the boxes.I had some extra chicken wire laying around so I tacked a piece under each box to keep the pocket gophers from stealing my root vegetables.

Then we arranged the boxes into a circle. You can see the location of last year’s garden in the background. I like the new location as it is closer to the cabin and is close to the water supply.

We laid newspaper and landscaping cloth in the paths and middle section to keep the weeds out, and filled each box with a mixture of dried leaves, sand, compost, peat and topsoil. I will be adding casings from my vermiculture (worm bin) later to boost the soil even more.

Then we spread mulch over the landscaping cloth. This was where we stopped last weekend.

Yesterday evening, I got to work disassembling the fence around the old garden and moving the fence posts to the new location. It was a treat to see a Pileated woodpecker working on a tree nearby and then fly right over me. I call them the ‘punk rockers’ of the wood pecker family.

Then early this morning, Lucy and I awoke to a large coyote checking out the new garden! I let her out to chase it away. Later, after our morning walk and breakfast, I added a final round of newspaper and landscaping cloth around the outer edge of the wheel and covered all of the cloth with more mulch. Then I wrapped the fencing around the posts and secured it with wire. I left a few extra feet to wrap around the end as a makeshift gate. I didn’t get too fancy with the fence as it will be dismantled and rebuilt again next spring in order to make room for the second row of raised beds.

I planted the potatoes (red and Yukon gold), onions (red, white, yellow and shallots) and garlic. The fun part was transplanted all of the plants that I had bought previously straight into the raised beds; including tomatoes, green and red cabbage, broccoli, kohl rabi, brussel sprouts, red peppers and jalapeno peppers, cauliflower, leeks, northern lights Swiss chard, kale, anise, chervil, dill, fennel, curly and Italian parsley, and marigolds for both color and to keep pests away. So already, things are growing in the garden! I also have celery and two types of red lettuce but I will have to try and fit those somewhere else.

Note the VHS video tape that I tied onto the garden fence (below). This tape is very effective in keeping wild animals (including birds) out of your garden as it rustles and moves in the slightest breeze. Also, because it’s shiny it reflects light which also makes the animals uneasy. I recommend taking it down every fall and replacing it with fresh tape every spring. Unfortunately, you will be picking up the odd bit of tape after heavy winds but it is truly worth it, knowing that a deer or rabbit is capable of eating everything in this garden within 30 minutes. It also helps that I have Lucy, as wild animals tend to avoid areas where they detect the scent of a dog.

I tied pie tins and other noise makers to the posts. The also reflect light and when the wind blows they bang against the metal and make random noises, again keeping the wild animals at a distance.

It’s been a few longs days but the garden is now planted and safely fenced. I still have a few things to find room for and will be adding a few more large pots for the center area for summer squash. I am going to have to be creative in finding room for the winter squash, cucumbers, beets, beans and peas. Next year, the second row of raised beds will double my planting space but until then I will make do with what I have.

I look forward to sharing the garden with you as it grows over the summer as well as all of the scrumptious cooking and preserving I will be doing with the harvest. For now, its a glass of wine and a hot salt bath for me! Cheers everyone… and may you enjoy your own gardens this season!

I spent this lovely, windy afternoon in the garden harvesting potatoes (red, Yukon gold and banana), beets, spaghetti squash, pumpkins, acorn squash and onions. The wilderness surrounding the garden was breathtaking… The leaves on the surrounding aspen poplars have turned bright yellow and they almost seemed to vibrate against today’s clear blue sky. My sweet peas are finally in full fragrant bloom and the sunflowers swayed and danced in the wind…

Despite the back-breaking labor of digging potatoes, I always enjoy the process. The simple turning of the soil to reveal these tasty treasures always reminds me of an Easter Egg hunt, where one never knows what will be revealed under the black earth…

This Yukon Gold wins the prize both for size and most interesting shape…!!!

A small mountain of banana potatoes…

Another prize-winner for interesting shape, this time in the tomato category…

I harvested only two tomato plants today. Only twelve more to go! (What was I thinking planting all of these???)I hauled three wheel barrels full of ‘spent plants’ a bit of a distance to my compost pile (behind the chicken coop, still in progress) where they will decompose and be dug into the garden soil next spring to nourish next years garden vegetables…

It was a wonderful, productive and satisfying day. I still have much more to harvest but I think that today’s labor was a very good start!

I would like to show you the vegetable garden. When we bought the cabin last fall it was just a little postage stamp of a plot with some potatoes left behind. We dug these up in October and they lasted us until March.

By November, the land was covered in snow and I spent the winter planning my garden, making endless lists and researching ‘deer- and rabbit-resistant gardening’. In May, my wonderful neighbor, K, came over with her tractor and tilled the soil for me, enlarging the garden into it’s current size. The soil is good in this spot and I was told that years ago this used to be a large garden.

Once tilled, I mapped out a Medicine Wheel design using mulch for the pathways. I added some plants and sowed some seeds. Then I spent an afternoon pounding in large stakes for the fence. My budget was very limited so I used what I could find on the land. I also found some rusty barbed wire fencing in large rolls around the property. I carefully unwound these and wrapped these around the poles, using wire to fasten it to the stakes. I did two rows of fencing, one on top of the other and wired these together. This was tricky as I did this on my own, holding the fence in place with my head while wiring the fencing together with needle nose pliers and being careful not to get scratched with the rusty wire…

I choose a Medicine Wheel design as I wanted to be intentional in my creation of a garden. This place would be set aside as a quiet place for contemplation, a source of nourishment and healing. For some reason, stepping into a circular garden invokes a feeling of reverence and quiet power.

Both the design and use of sacred space are processes that draw on both the conscious and unconscious levels of mind and spirit. We learn as we create and we change as we garden. Let the process inform you spirit. ~Peg Streep

The circle has four quadrants (which were further subdivided into pie-shaped plots) set to the cardinal directions (north, east, south and west). Each direction has a corresponding element (earth, air, fire and water). The center of the circle is a place of concentrated ‘power’ and peace. At the door of the garden is a pile of stones found previously buried in the soil. Visitors are invited to take a stone, envision a prayer or request, wish or blessing, and imagine that they are putting it into the stone. Then they can place the stone in the center bowl. As I spend time each day working in the garden, I meditate, contemplate and pray. I sing songs, I laugh, I dance, I express gratitude for the earth’s abundance. I imagine this good energy being absorbed into the growing plants.

The creation of sacred space- how we set apart and arrange a certain spot and imbue it with reverent feelings… draws us closer to nature and affirms our personal ties with the earth. Medicine Wheel gardens are places for celebrating and teaching. Some go to the Medicine Wheel garden for vision quests, prayer and personal renewal. Others see it as a place to gather together for drumming, fire ceremonies and singing. -E.Barrie Kavasch

The above shot was just taken today. I love spending time in the garden and taking care of it never feels like a chore. I feel the earth supporting my body as I kneel to work, I listen to the wind and the birds, I feel the sun and sometimes rain on my skin and all of this brings me deep contentment. Today, it was a very hot and sunny day. Here are a few more shots of things growing in the garden…

I am noticing lots of green and yellow in the pictures but very little red. I do have red beets and radishes and red lettuce and potatoes; and soon will also have red peppers, chili peppers and loads of tomatoes, if only we would get more warmer weather. In fact, everything is behind this year due to the cool, wet summer. Perhaps we will have a hot late summer/autumn in time for harvest?

This season marks phase one in the Medicine Wheel garden design. Next year, I will add raised beds and incorporate the four elements into each quadrant (a bowl of stones for earth, prayer flags and wind chimes for air, a small fire bowl for fire, and a bird bath for water). In the meantime, we have a few months of harvest ahead of us. I will show you more pictures of the garden as the summer progresses.